No Longer a Princess
by Dash99
Summary: Gilan thought his mission would be easy- escort two young princesses to Araluen, but every mission that is supposed to be easy ends up being very difficult, and this one will be just that.
1. Prologue

"What are you wearing?" Isabella yelled at Jaylen.

"What do you mean?"

"Your dress! You can't possibly be thinking of wearing that!" Jaylen rolled her eyes at her sister. "It's not a dress."

"Well, that is my whole point! You have on a plain brown skirt and a rough green shirt! You look like a peasant!"

"We are supposed to be going in secret, Isabella, and your yelling is going to give it all away."

"I don't understand why we have to go to Araluen. We are perfectly safe here in Morithia."

"You don't understand anything about war, do you?"

"It is not a princess's place to worry about those sorts of things, Jaylen, especially you. You are the heir to the throne! Why Father ever let you I have no clue. You act like a peasant, not royalty." Jaylen recoiled from her sister. Her eyes suddenly gleamed with anger.

"You know darn and well that I don't want the throne. I can't help it that I was born first, sister." Isabella glared at Jaylen. "The ranger is going to be here. You'd better get ready."

Gilan rode his horse over the drawbridge of Castle Morithia. Crowley had informed him of his 'mission'. He was to take King Jacer's twin daughters to Castle Araluen for safekeeping. Gilan had dreaded the mission. To have to put up with a princess is one thing. But two princesses, that are twins? He was determined to get this over with as quickly as possible. It was starting to get dark out. King Jacer wanted his daughters to leave in secrecy. A man walked towards Gilan. He was tall and had blond hair. His eyes were a deep blue.

"I suppose you are the ranger?"

"Yes sir."

"You swear to keep them safe?"

"I swear on my life," Gilan said. The man's shoulder seemed to sag in relief, just a little. Gilan dismounted from Blaze.

"I am grateful for your kingdom's willingness to protect my daughters," Jacer said. "I don't want to take the chance of them being captured or killed."

"Who exactly are you at war with?" Gilan asked.

"To be honest with you, I don't exactly know." Gilan started raising his eyebrows. "On our borders creatures have been seen, outposts have just been deserted."

What type of creatures?" Gilan asked.

"We don't know. All of those who have made it close to one have been killed, and those that have made it back have only seen them from a distance." Jacer and Gilan started walking towards the stable. Two horses were tied up. One was jet black with a little star on its forehead. The other was a bay with a white blaze. It looked very much like Gilan's horse blaze, except this one had four white socks. A girl was checking over the tack and giving the horse one last brush.

"Where is your sister?" Jacer asked the girl.

"Where do you think? She's with her best friend." The girl said it with heavy sarcasm in her voice. Jacer looked at her quizzically.

"In her room with her mirror."

"Jaylen now is not the time to be aggravated with your sister. You two need to get along."

"I know dad, but…"

"No buts aloud, nobody really likes butts." Jaylen smiled at him.

"Of course," she said.

"Go get your sister," Jaylen gave her horse one last pat on the neck and took off running. Gilan watched her.

"She's a good girl, a bit of a trouble maker though," Jacer said to Gilan.

"Trouble maker?"

"Yes, even though she is an identical twin, her and her sister have completely different personalities." Jaylen emerged with Isabella beside her. Gilan looked at the two girls. They both had long blond hair and the same deep blue eyes that their father had, but he could tell their personality differences by looking at their clothes. Jaylen had on a long brown skirt and a simple green shirt. She had a dagger around her waist and she had a bow slung over her shoulder. Isabella wore a dark red dress with a gold necklace and earrings. Her hair was elaborately braided and she carried no weapons. They both had on black cloaks. Jacer walked over to his two daughters and embraced them.

"I love you both," Jacer said. They hugged tighter.

"You ready?" Gilan asked. He was ready to leave so he could get this over with as soon as possible. Jacer let go of his daughters. Jaylen swung lightly into her horse's saddle. Jacer helped Isabella on.

"Be safe," he said. The two girls waved to him, not trusting their voices, and rode out of the gate.

They rode in silence through the night, except for the occasional complaints from Isabella.

"My bum's sore," Isabella complained.

"That means you are getting some muscle there," Jaylen replied, smiling. Isabella just huffed and rolled her eyes. The sun was starting to rise.

"We'll stop for breakfast and a brief rest," Gilan said. "Be looking for a good camp spot."

"How about a long rest?" Isabella asked. Gilan and Jaylen just ignored her.

"Right there," Jaylen said.

"Right what?" Gilan asked. He looked to where Jaylen was looking. He couldn't really see anything that would make a good campsite. Jaylen turned her horse off of the trail and into the woods. Gilan and Isabella followed her. They rode a few yards into the woods. Jaylen dismounted and stretched, groaning softly as she eased her tight muscles.

"This defiantly isn't too bad of one," Gilan said. The ground was covered with a layer of green ferns, and there were plenty of trees to hide them from view from the road. "How did you see it?" Gilan asked her.

"I didn't, I just remembered when my dad would take me camping and this is where we would camp," Jaylen said. She began picking up some firewood to make a fire.

"Is there a stream nearby?" Gilan asked.

"Yup," Jaylen said gesturing with her head farther into the woods. Gilan grabbed their water skins.

"I'm going to go fill these up," he said and started walking, then added: "Try not to get into trouble."

"You only have to worry about her getting into trouble," Isabella said, groaning as she stretched. Gilan chuckled to himself then made his way to the stream. Jaylen busied herself making a small fire.

"Get some of the coffee out of my saddlebag," she said to Isabella. Isabella plodded over to Jaylen's horse.

"I miss home," Isabella said.

"I miss dad," Jaylen said.

"Do you think we'll have to stay in Araluen forever?" Isabella queried.

"I don't know…" Jaylen said, blowing gently on the fire to get it going. "I think we will…" somewhere a twig snapped. Jaylen looked up from the fire, alarmed.

"I can't find…" Isabella started.

"Duck!" Jaylen hissed at her. Isabella dropped to the ground.

"What the…" she started, but was interrupted. An arrow hissed through the air. Jaylen reached for her bow and knocked an arrow. She pulled her dagger out and tossed it to Isabella.

"You might need that," Jaylen said.

"What do you mean?"

"Shut up!" Jaylen saw movement and tried to make out what it was. She didn't want to accidently shoot Gilan. She made out black armor on the thing. It had a long snout. It reminded her of a bear. There was more than one though. Another creature came into the clearing. Jaylen's bow came up and she shot it. It lay dead in front of where Isabella was lying.

"What is that?"

"Wargal," Jaylen said. She saw another one advancing towards her and she tried to shoot it. The arrow plunged into its right eye. The wargal was enraged and ran towards Jaylen. She tried to raise her bow and shoot it but the wargal was advancing to fast. It ran into her and knocked her to the ground. Jaylen's bow fell from her hands. The wargal raised its short sword and brought it down, plunging it into Jaylen's heart. She screamed in pain.

"NO!" Isabella screamed.

The wargal was about to stab Jaylen again, but it froze. A familiar figure appeared in the woods and shot the wargal in the heart. Gilan's bow rose and fell as he picked the remaining wargals off. He dropped his bow and ran to where Jaylen lay in a puddle of blood.

"Please Jaylen, don't die!" Isabella whispered. Isabella looked up at Gilan, tears forming in her eyes. "Is she going to…?" Gilan dropped his eyes and wouldn't meet her gaze. Isabella felt a cold hand grab hold of hers.

"Izy…"

"Jaylen, please…"

"I'm not going to make it…" she gasped.

"Jaylen, don't talk this nonsense, dad needs you, I need you, I know we fight…" Jaylen put a cold hand on Isabella's cheek.

"Be brave. Have courage, sister." Jaylen whispered.

"I will, sister." Jaylen's hand fell from Isabella's cheek, and she breathed her last.


	2. Memories

**Hello! This is my first Ranger's Apprentice Fanfict. Any reviews would be much appreciated! Sorry this chapter is so short. I wrote it in a hurry:) Enjoy!**

Isabella watched as Gilan finished burying Jaylen. Her blue eyes misted with tears again. Isabella gently picked up Jaylen's bow.

"Why?" she asked Gilan through tears. "Why did she have to die? Why…" Gilan put a hand on Isabella's shaking shoulders.

"There are many questions in this world, Isabella, and some of them just can't be answered." He said. "Your sister was brave, and you need to be too."

"I can't be brave! I'm not like Jaylen! She has always been the one to explore the woods, gallop her horse around bareback and then jump a stream!" A faint smile touched Isabella lips. "But the stream jump wasn't the best Idea she had. I remember watching her. She slipped right off the side of her horse and landed in one of the deeper parts of the stream. I think I was angrier than her." Gilan raised an eyebrow at that.

"Okay, well, she was just laughing and I was fuming at her for being so 'unladylike'."

"I think we need to get out of here," Gilan said looking around. An angry light flickered in Isabella's eyes.

"You think more of those wargals will attack?"

"No."

"No? What makes you think that?" Isabella asked. Then she realized what Gilan meant. _Jaylen would do the same thing, _She thought.

"I am going to find out where they came from."


	3. Getting Ready

**Thank you Writer-born-from-Shadows for the review! It will probably be a couple of days before I can update this again. Enjoy!**

"Great, let's get going," Isabella said to Gilan.

"I will take you back to Morithia. I think you will be safe there."

"What do you mean? I'm going with you," Isabella said, flipping her long blond hair out of her face.

"No, you're not," Gilan said. "I'm going to have to move fast and it will be dangerous. The wargals haven't bothered us since Horace killed Morgarath, and I need to see what they are up to." Isabella stared at him.

"You are saying that I will be in the way?" She said, eyeing him coldly.

"Do you really want my honest answer?" Isabella slumped.

"I know what your honest answer will be," She said. Gilan started to turn away. "But I'm still coming with you." He turned around.

"Isabella, you can hardly even ride. I really think," he paused, and then cleared his throat. "I know, it would be too hard for you. It will be dangerous and if you get killed your Father will probably hang me."

"He will probably hang you anyways, so going near Morithia is not a good idea for you."

"How are you planning on defending yourself? I won't be able to watch your back."

"I have Jaylen's bow. You can teach me how to shoot it," Isabella said, picking up the bow.

"Why do you want to go so bad?" Gilan asked her.

"They killed my sister, and I could almost bet that they are the creatures that have been wandering our borders."

Gilan looked at her. She reminded him of Evelyn. _I really need to call her Cassandra, not Evelyn,_ He thought. Isabella was watching him, arms folded across her chest.

"Remind me to never get in an argument with a girl."

"I have a feeling that there will be plenty more of them!" Isabella said.

They took the saddlebags and tack off of Jaylen's bay horse, and let the horse go.

"Does the horse know the way back to Morithia?" Gilan asked.

"The horse's name is Misty, and yes, she does know the way home," Isabella replied. Isabella replaced her side-saddle with Jaylen's regular saddle and changed into a pair of clothes of hers. Gilan looked up as Isabella emerged from the trees. She had taken out her many elaborate braids and replaced it with one long braid down her back. The outfit was another of one of Jaylen's favorite long brown skirts and shirt that's sleeves were cut off at the elbows, except instead of the dark green this one was a navy blue.

"You've changed," Gilan said.

"What do you mean?" Isabella asked him.

"Just a few hours ago you would have complained about wearing something so 'unfashionable', but now here you are holding a bow and getting ready to ride hard."

"My bum's going to be really sore," she said smiling. Gilan smiled back at her.

"It will probably feel like it's going to fall off," Gilan said.

"Thanks for the encouragement, now how do I shoot this thing," She said, holding the bow up.

"Get an arrow out of your quiver," he said puling an arrow out of his quiver. "Do you know how to nock it?"

"Like this?" Isabella said, slowly and clumsily nocking an arrow.

"Well, you need to do it more smoothly," he said. He saw her shoulders slump. "Don't worry, it takes lots of practice! Now bring it to full draw." Isabella struggled. She was weak and was having a very difficult time bringing the longbow to full draw.

_She really needs a recurve bow,_ Gilan thought.

"Just bring it back as far as you can," He told her. "Then shoot." Isabella tried to draw it back just a little more. Her arms started shaking with the effort. She released and the arrow flew about ten feet.

Gilan grimaced as he watched. _I have a lot more work than I thought, _he thought.

"That wasn't very good, was it?" Isabella asked.

"You just need to practice," then added as an afterthought, "A lot."


	4. Like Father, Like Son

Maddox watched the drilling wargals. This is the only life he had ever known. Darkness. War. Revenge.

_Revenge,_ he thought. _Yes, revenge on those puny rangers and that blasted apprentice knight. _He was determined to finish what his father, Morgarath started. He had received reports that a ranger was going to Morithia. He had sent out five wargals to kill him. None of them had returned.

_I underestimated them, just the mistake that my father made._

He heard footsteps on the hard floor of the outpost. He had taken one of the Morithian outposts on the western border and was using it as a base.

"Thinking again?" Maddox looked at the person.

"I know that look dad. What are you thinking about?"

"Know your place, boy. My thinking is my own business."

"You know I'm not a boy anymore."

"Yes Caleb, I know, but sometimes you act like one," Maddox told his son. Caleb slumped his shoulders. Maddox looked at his son. He took his looks after his mother. He didn't have the pale skin and black eyes like he and Morgarath had. His skin was darker, and he had dark brown hair that was a shaggy mess around his ears. His eyes were green and bright, constantly seething with curiosity. He had big shoulders and muscles, from constant practice with his sword, trying constantly to please his father, but to no avail.

"We move in to take Morithia in three days," Maddox said.

"That soon?" Caleb asked his father. Maddox swung his black eyes back around to Caleb.

"Are you really going to tell me how to fight a war?" he asked.

"No, I was just…"

"That's the problem. 'I was just…' What's it going to be this time? Wondering?" Caleb dropped his eyes from his dad's.

"Sorry," He said, shuffling his feet.

"Surprise at that. Now, I have something I want you to do," Maddox said. Caleb lifted his head. Anytime his dad wanted him to do something, he felt, well, pleased with himself that he had pleased his dad.

"What?" He asked.

"I want you to ride to the Mountains of Rain and Night and see if any Kalkara still roam there," Maddox said to his son.

"But the Mountains of Rain and Night are impassable!" Caleb said.

"I don't care. I need Kalkara." Caleb made a gesture of defeat.

"What do you want Kalkara for?" Maddox let out an exasperated sigh. Caleb's questions never ended!

"Use that thick skull of yours to figure it out."

"To kill rangers?" Caleb asked.

"No, to kill knights."

"Knights? What do you want to kill knights for?"

"Maybe I should make it clearer: A knight."

"You mean…" Caleb started.

"Sir Horace, the knight that killed your grandfather."

** I had fun writing this chapter. Please review! Thank you FarmersDaughter for the reviews and thank you Writer-born-from-Shadows for your continuing reviews. **


	5. Emotional Breakdown

Isabella woke from a deep sleep. She didn't remember where she was at. She saw a stream. The bank of the stream was covered with a thick layer of ferns. She saw a girl standing by the bank. She rubbed her eyes. The girl had on a white dress that reached just past her knees. Her blond hair was down and blowing gently in the breeze.

"Jaylen?" Isabella asked. The girl turned her face towards Isabella. She had deep blue eyes.

"Is that you?" Isabella looked at her closely. It was Jaylen, but then it wasn't. The girls face had a soft blue glow to it. Isabella stood up.

"Jaylen, I'm so…" The girl took off at a run. Isabella hesitated for a second, and then took off after her. The girl was running into the woods, towards the spot where the wargals had ambushed Isabella and Jaylen just days before. The girl ran around a bend then disappeared from Isabella's sight. Isabella kept running.

"Jaylen?" She stopped and put her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. "Couldn't you wait up? You know I can't run as fast as you!" There was no reply. Isabella heard a twig snap. She turned and saw the girl standing, her back towards Isabella. She had on a white cloak that reached to the ground and had the hood pulled up over her head. Isabella could hear a faint voice on the breeze, and someone running behind her.

"Isabella, Stop!"

It was Gilan's voice, but Isabella was mesmerized by the white cloak and slowly started walking towards it.

"Isabella, it's a…" She ignored Gilan's voice. She reached her hand out and put it on the shoulder of the cloak. It fell off, but it wasn't the girl who was wearing it. It was a Wargal. Isabella tried to run, but she couldn't get her feet to move. She stood. The wargal drew a spear. Isabella tried to scream, but no sound came out. The wargal pulled the spear back. Isabella could still hear Gilan's voice, but she could no longer make out the words. The wargal thrust the spear into Isabella's heart. She fell to the ground without a sound. There was no blood, no pain, she was dead instantly.

Isabella bolted upright. Sweat was pouring of her face, or was it tears? She couldn't tell. It might have been both. Her shoulders began to shake, and more tears started pouring down her face. Gilan's tall lanky form started towards her.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Isabella was sobbing.

"It was my fault! She never should have…" Gilan couldn't make out the remaining words, for Isabella was crying so hard, but he had a good guess what she was trying to say.

"Just don't go there Isabella. It was not your fault. If it was anybody's fault, it would be mine."

"Why would it be yours?" She sobbed.

"I shouldn't of left you two, and I should have been more aware of my surroundings and known that we were being followed."

"But that's the point! You weren't there, so it couldn't of been your fault. I just sat there and watched her be killed!" Isabella put her face in her hands and cried harder. Gilan put his hands around the younger girl's shoulders. Isabella took in a few shuddering breaths.

"I miss her, Gilan." Gilan didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. He had only known Jaylen for a day.

"You need to get some sleep. We have a lot of traveling to do." Isabella lifted her tear-stained face. The tears were gone, and an angry glint was in her eyes.

"Where do you think those foul creatures came from?" She asked Gilan.

"I think they came from the west. Their tracks seem to be leading that way. Is there anything on the western border of Morithia that would interest them?" Isabella shook her head.

"I don't know. I never left the castle. Jaylen was the explorer. She always went with my dad when he inspected the outposts."

"Is there an outpost on the western border?"

"I don't know."

"I guess we will have to just keep following the tracks and hope it doesn't rain."

"Why don't you want it to rain?" Isabella asked.

"If it rains, the tracks will be lost."

**So I don't really have anything to say except please review! Thanks!**


	6. Improvement

**So I hope everyone has enjoyed the story so far. Enjoy this chapter and please review!**

The sun was bright and shining the following morning. Isabella yawned and stretched. She had had a rough night. She couldn't fall back asleep after her nightmare. Her eyes were red from crying so much. She tossed her blanket off of her and rolled it up, then secured it on her saddle. Her black horse looked at her.

"I suppose you want an apple, right Spark?" She said to her horse. Spark looked at her with his big liquid eyes. Isabella smiled at him and rubbed the little star on his forehead. She reached into one of her saddlebags and produced an apple and gave it to Spark. He munched happily, squirting juice down his face. Gilan's horse, Blaze watched Isabella intently. Isabella took another apple out of her saddlebag and walked over to Blaze. She made sure Gilan wasn't watching her. He was busy rolling up his bedroll. Isabella gave Blaze the apple.

"Don't tell, this is our little secret," Isabella said to the bay pony. Blaze quit chomping on the apple and looked at Isabella for a moment, then resumed chewing blissfully on the apple. Isabella turned and walked to where Gilan was struggling rolling up his bedroll.

"I suppose we are eating on the road?" She asked. Gilan paused for a second, then looked up at the sky and frowned. Isabella followed his gaze. A few black clouds hurried across the sky.

"You supposed right. I think it might rain. We need to ride as hard as we can."

"Not riding hard again! That's all we ever do!" Isabella complained. "I really want a nice hot breakfast, a warm bath, and a chance for my bum to recover."

"You're the one that wanted to come with me," Gilan said smiling. Isabella glared at him.

"I know, and I still do." She held his gaze for a few minutes. Finally, Gilan dropped his.

"We need to get going. While I finish up packing up camp I want you to practice shooting your bow. You might need to use it soon."

"I hope I don't have to use it soon. I need a few more weeks to practice." Gilan raised his eyebrows.

"Ok, make that a few months," Isabella said. She picked up the bow. Gilan watched her out of the corner of his eyes. She selected an arrow and nocked it, a little smoother and less clumsy this time. She drew back the bow, again a little farther than the last time. She aimed for a nearby tree and released. The arrow was online with the tree, but it didn't have enough force to hit the tree fifteen feet away. Isabella took another arrow, nocked it, and shot, each time getting a little closer to the tree.

"Put it up Isabella," Gilan said. Isabella retrieved the arrows. "That was much better. You need to work on building up your strength, then you might be able to hit that tree." Isabella smiled at Gilan.

"What do I need to do?" She asked.

"Push-ups."

"Sounds like fun," Isabella said with heavy sarcasm.

"It really is," Gilan said, ignoring the sarcasm in Isabella's voice. "You're the one who wanted to come with me," he added smiling.

"Quit reminding me," Isabella said. She put the arrows back into her quiver. She and Gilan walked over to where the horses were standing. Isabella tightened Spark's girth, then swung lightly into the saddle.

"You are getting better at mounting," Gilan said, remembering the day when Isabella's dad, Jacer, had to help her on.

"I just need to work on riding. I can't quit bouncing like a frog."

"Do frogs really bounce? I have always thought they hopped," Gilan said, trying not to smile.

"I don't know, the only time I ever have seen one was, of course, when Jaylen put one in my bed." Isabella choked up a little bit. "Although then I thought that the frog had horns and fangs and was trying to stab me with a knife."

"They most definitely don't do that." They rode on at a steady trot, Gilan sitting to the trot and Isabella bouncing wildly.

"Use your legs to hold yourself down, you can also hold onto the pommel of the saddle."

"I don't have any leg muscles," Isabella said.

"You had better build them up." Isabella clutched desperately to the pommel and tried to use her legs to hold herself down. She felt the giant bounces shrink into little jolts.

"That's better," Gilan said. _She's a fast learner,_ he thought. They rode at the same pace until lunch. They slowed to a walk. Isabella groaned.

"Can we rest just for a minute?" She begged Gilan. Gilan cast a worried glimpse up to the sky.

"How about we just walk the horses while we eat," he said.

"How about I just walk and lead my horse for a bit?"

"As long as you can keep up," Gilan said. They stopped and dismounted. Isabella took some dried meat and hard biscuits from Gilan.

"Is this what you us usually eat?" She asked.

"Not when there is a good fire around. I really wish we had some coffee." Isabella frowned. She remembered that coffee was the last thing that Jaylen had tried to make. Gilan saw her frown.

"You ok?" he asked. Isabella nodded her head, not wanting to speak. Gilan mounted up back on Blaze and Isabella just led Spark at a walk. She choked down the cold food and took a drink of water.

"Ready to mount up again?" Gilan asked her.

"No," Isabella replied bluntly.

"Ok, well if you can keep up with me you can keep walking," and with that he urged Blaze into a canter. Isabella sighed, then smiled and looked at Spark.

"Let's show that show off how fast you are," She said and heaved herself into the saddle and took off after Gilan, almost bouncing out of the saddle.


	7. Fatherly Advice

**Thanks for all the reviews everyone! keep them coming:) **

Maddox sat at a desk in a room in the outpost, mulling over a map of Morithia, trying to figure out which rout would be best for him to send the wargals through to castle Morithia. His thoughts were interrupted as he looked up and saw the map of Araluen. He curled his lip in distaste at the sight of it. He started remembering the burning of his father's bridge, the failed attack from the Skandians, the blasted apprentice knight. Where his father failed, Maddox was determined to succeed. He remembered his mother, Morgan. Morgarath never showed any love towards Maddox. All he did was criticize everything Maddox did. His Mother was the loving one. Morgan praised Maddox when he did well, unlike his father. She was the only reason he was here today. After his father Morgarath had been killed by the apprentice knight Horace, Morgan had taken him and fled from the Mountains of Rain and Night, trying to keep Maddox safe from the Araluen knights who were coming there to try to kill any remaining people who served Morgarath. The settled down on a small farm in Morithia, no one ever guessing that Maddox was always plotting his revenge, but a soft spot came into his black heart when he had met his wife, Cadence. Her bright green eyes and dark brown curly hair snared him. They fell in love, and for the moment Maddox forgot his plot for revenge. Caleb, who took all of his looks and personality from his mother, was born, seventeen years ago. Cadence got sick the winter that Caleb was born. Maddox did everything he could to save her. He even went to Macindaw fief in Araluen to see one of the best healers there was-Malcolm. By the time he had found Malcolm though it was too late. Cadence was dead. Maddox had been driven into a fury. He left his only son, Caleb, with Morgan while he went in search for wargals.

Maddox found them and took control of their minds. He returned home and took Caleb and Morgan to the Mountains of Rain and Night. The Araluens had already secured the mountains and didn't go near them unless they had to. Morgan then died of old age, leaving Maddox and Caleb alone. Maddox had planned to take control of Araluen and kill every single Ranger and knight. That was why he was in Morithia this moment, to begin his attack and revenge.

He looked back down at his map, tapping his chin thoughtfully. He heard a knock at the wooden door.

"Come in," he said. He already knew who it was without asking.

"Dad, how many wargals should I take with me to the mountains of Rain and Night?"

"How many do you need?" Maddox asked. Caleb tilted his head thoughtfully. He knew if he said too many, his Dad would think that he didn't think he could handle himself, but if he said none, then his dad would say he was being cocky.

"Five?" Caleb asked.

"Are you asking or telling me?" Maddox asked his son.

"Five," Caleb said.

"Five you shall have then." Caleb heaved a sigh of relief, thankful his Father didn't get angry with him. Unfortunately for Caleb, his relief didn't go unnoticed by Maddox.

"On the other hand…" Maddox started. Caleb instantly tensed. "I think you should go alone."

"But Dad…"

"Don't 'but dad' me. Nobody likes a butt."

"I don't think I can make it there by myself. I think I will need some back up if I'm trying to get a Kalkara to work for me."

"Well then, the solution to all of your problems would be this…" Caleb looked at his father in the eye.

"…Quit thinking."

"Quit thinking? That is you fatherly advice? Quit thinking?" Maddox eyed Caleb.

"Yes, in fact, it is."

"Can I take Cadence?" Caleb asked. Cadence was Caleb's black battle horse, named after his mother.

"Yes, I don't really want you gone for a year. I need Horace killed. Here," Maddox said, tossing a sack onto the desk. "You will probably need this." Caleb opened up the sack. It was filled with silver.

"I thought the Rangers," he started, noticing the flicker of hatred in his dad's black eyes. He continued anyways.

"I thought the Rangers killed the last Kalkara."

"Like I told you before quit thinking," Maddox said. "You will find more in the Mountains of Rain and Night." Caleb took one last look at his dad.

"Well then, I suppose I had better be off," Caleb said and turned on his heel and walked out the door.

"Yes, I believe you should," Maddox said, returning to his map.


	8. The Fire

**I am having so much fun writing this! Thank you for all the reviews! it makes the writing process even more enjoyable knowing that people are reading my work! Enjoy:)**

Isabella just lay on the ground groaning by the small fire that Gilan had built. Every muscle in her body ached. They had ridden hard all day until it was too dark for Gilan to see the trail left by the wargals, then Gilan had made Isabella do some push-ups. He tried to get her to do ten, a feasible number, but after the third one, Isabella collapsed, exhausted. Gilan grinned at the groaning figure.

"You're the one who wanted to come with me!" He said.

"Quit reminding me about bad decisions I have made," She said to him. Gilan finished making one of the delicious stews that Halt had taught him how to make. He wondered how Halt was doing.

_I wonder if he knows about the wargals,_ Gilan thought. When he was younger, Gilan had always thought Halt was never wrong. He still thought that today. He handed Isabella a bowl of soup. She sat up and took it eagerly.

"So this is how you usually eat?" She asked. Gilan took a drink of his steaming hot coffee.

"Pretty much," Gilan said. He didn't remark to Isabella that he usually ate at Jenny's restaurant in Redmont. Jenny's food rivaled that of Master Chubb's, who was the best cook in Araluen.

"It's good," Isabella said through mouthfuls of the stew. "So what is the game plan?"

"Keep following the tracks left by the wargals." Gilan said.

"What are you planning on doing when you reach wherever it is where they came from?" Isabella asked him.

"I don't know. I guess it just depends."

"On what?"

"How many, who's controlling them, where they are at, that sort of stuff."

"How far away from then do you think we are?" Gilan pondered that for a moment.

"One or two days, maybe," He said. They sat in silence staring at the dying fire. Finally, Isabella yawned.

"I'm tired," she said. She stacked her bowl and coffee mug by the fire and moved off to get her bedroll off of Spark. She had him tied to a nearby tree. She saw where Blaze was standing untied. Gilan had told her about the training that the Ranger horses have.

"Do you think Bob would train Spark for me someday?" Isabella asked Gilan.

"I don't know, you would have to ask him," Gilan told her.

Isabella patted Spark on the neck, then plodded over next to the fire and dropped her bedroll on the ground and started unrolling it.

"So I guess I get first watch?" Gilan asked.

"I can if you want me to," Isabella said. Gilan looked at her tired form.

"I'll take first," he said. He picked up his bow and walked over to a small bush and settled himself there. He pulled his hood up and over his face, seeming to disappear from view. Isabella watched in amazement.

"How do you do that?" she asked him.

"Practice," he said. "Maybe I'll teach you someday if you want to learn."

"That would be awesome!" Isabella said excitedly. Gilan settled back down. Isabella lay down with her hands behind her head. She looked up at the sky. The dark clouds were still gathering there. She pulled her blanket up and around her chin and fell asleep.

Isabella felt a constant _tap-tap-tap _on her shoulder. She shrugged her blanket up closer around her chin, trying to protect herself from the rain. The tap was stronger now. She rolled over and pulled her blanket up over her head. The tapping quit, but now she was being shaken.

"Isabella!" she heard a voice whisper. She rolled back over and pulled the blanket down from her face. The tapping wasn't the rain it was Gilan. She made a mover to sit up, but Gilan made a motion for her to stay down. He gazed over to their left. Isabella saw what it was now. It was a fire burning. Gilan leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"I'm going to go check it out. You stay here," he said. Isabella nodded her head and reached out her hand and scooted her bow over closer to her. She went to sit up.

"Stay lying down," he told her. Isabella obliged. She watched as Gilan disappeared swiftly and silently to where the fire was burning.

"How can he do that?" Isabella said silently to herself. Isabella tried to peer closer at the fire. She looked really hard. She thought she could make out a form hunched by the fire, and beside it was a big black battle horse.

**Ok so I just got a review from ****FarmersDaughter and it gave me an idea! guessing game! Who does the battle horse belong to? sorry ****FarmersDaughter, it's not Deparnieux:) **


	9. Kill the Ranger

**Ok, so I got a little distracted this morning. I had another story idea (which I had to post:) check it out!) then I decided to take a break from writing and review some stories. So... here is your update! Thank you for all the guesses! Sumin, your second guess is (I'm not going to say... just read and review!) Hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

Caleb sat hunched over by the fire. His black horse nuzzled his shoulder. Caleb reached up and petted her big blaze on her face. His horse Cadence was his best friend. She was never angry with him, always listened, and somehow when he was near his horse he could feel his mother's presence. Caleb saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. He pretended not to notice but something or somebody was trying to sneak up on him. He caught a glimpse of a cloak.

_A Ranger! _Caleb thought excitedly. If he was able to kill a Ranger, maybe his dad would be proud of him. Caleb moved his hand to his sword and pulled it out experimentally, making sure it was ready. He looked up at his horse standing there. He needed to bait the Ranger somehow. He decided the best way was to give the Ranger something he would want to hear. Information. He began talking to Cadence, trying to bait the Ranger in.

Gilan moved as silently as possible. He looked at the figure hunched by the fire. He seemed mesmerized by the fire. Gilan watched him.

_Who is this? _He wondered to himself. A boy camped in the woods by himself at night was odd. Gilan saw him look down at his sword. The boy looked up at the black horse standing next to him.

"I don't like being out here by myself girl," he said to the horse.

_So he is alone, _Gilan thought. He shifted a little more, straining his ears to see if he could hear more.

"I don't want to go to the Mountains of Rain and Night by myself, especially to find Kalkara." Gilan's hair on the back of his neck pricked up.

_Kalkara? Mountains of Rain and Night? _Gilan's mind was racing. _Does this mean that Morgarath…_

"Ever since Horace killed grandpa all dad has ever thought about is killing Horace and Rangers. Why can't he just let it go?" He reached up and brushed Cadence's forelock out of her face.

_Horace killed Grandfather?_ Gilan thought."So that means that…" Gilan was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't realize that he said those last few words aloud. Caleb heard them. Caleb drew his sword and was swinging it towards Gilan. Gilan only had seconds to react. He jumped out of the way, trying to draw his sword. He scrambled awkwardly, and tripped on a tree root. His half drawn sword flung out of his hand and clashed to the ground. Caleb drew his sword up, preparing it for the downward plunge into the vulnerable Gilan who was lying helpless before him. Gilan tried to draw his saxe and throwing knife. Caleb stopped his downward stroke and kicked the knives frojm gilan's hands. Gilan kicked back at Caleb knocking the boy's legs out from under him. Caleb fell with a crash, losing his sword. He fell right on top of Gilan. Gilan's breath was knocked from him. Caleb drew a dagger that he had from his boot and held it on Gilan's throat.

"I have never wanted to kill a Ranger, but it is kind of hard not to when they collapse right at your front door." Caleb said.

"I don't see a door anywhere," Gilan grunted. Gilan tried to push the dagger from his throat. Caleb grabbed Gilan's hands and held them down. Gilan kept waiting to feel his throat slit. He looked up into Caleb's eyes. His face was sweating. Something was troubling him. Caleb closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, torn.

_Here is a Ranger. If I kill him, Dad would surely be proud of me but yet, _Caleb thought. He opened his green eyes and looked at the Ranger, helpless before him. He couldn't do it. He couldn't kill someone out of cold blood. He clenched the dagger harder.

_Sometimes you act like one…_

Maddox's words echoed in Caleb's head. He could prove himself a man to his dad if he killed this Ranger.

_Why am I having such a hard time with this? _He thought desperately. He closed his eyes again, and prepared to kill the Ranger.


	10. Isabella's Arrow

Maddox sat on top of his ghostly white horse and watched as the wargals assembled and began to march, their shrill chant rising and falling with the wind. He sighed in content. This is where his revenge began, in Morithia. He would make a base in Castle Morithia and then start advancing into Araluen.

_I wonder if Caleb has found any Kalkara, _Maddox wondered. He didn't really care if he did or didn't. He was just trying to get Caleb out of his way for a while.

_Or forever, _Maddox thought. The wargals were moving at a steady march now. In one day of a hard march they would be in Morithia, but Maddox was going to take two days to get there. He planned on traveling three-fourths of the way today, then the remaining fourth tomorrow, then surprise attack Morithia, and move into Araluen. Maddox licked his lips in anticipation. He was ready for some bloodshed.

Isabella heard the dull clang of Gilan dropping his sword. She bolted upright. Gilan would never drop his sword unless he was in trouble. She looked at the two horses. Spark was nibbling at the grass, but Blaze was standing with her knees locked and ears up. Isabella knew what she had to do. She picked up her bow and ran as fast as her sore body would let her. She saw where Caleb was on top of Gilan. She nocked an arrow. She went to draw. She knew she couldn't shoot the figure on top of Gilan this far away.

"Blast," she muttered under her breath. She ran closer. She saw the knife at Gilan's throat.

_Time! I need more time! _She thought. She was going to have and take the shot from where she was if she wanted to save Gilan. She stopped, and then she drew, sighted, and shot. Isabella mentally patted herself on the back. She was almost able to bring the bow to full-draw. Then the arrow started it's deadly descend down on Caleb.

**Sorry this chapter is so short and a cliff! I'll update as soon as possible!**


	11. Interrogation

**Writer-born-from-Shadows thank you for the suggestion! anybody who wants to criticize my work go ahead! I actually quite enjoy nice criticism:) So here is your new chapter that is longer! enjoy and review!**

***Update* I went ahead and kind of re-wrote this chapter. ****Writer-born-from-Shadows, your review made me think hard about this chapter and so I decided that it needed some more work. Let me know what you think:)**

Caleb took the dagger from Gilan's throat. He threw it to the side. He rolled off of Gilan and onto the ground. He lay there, breathing heavily, waiting for Gilan to kill him. Gilan stood up. He was about to bend over and help Caleb up. He heard a sound. Something was coming towards him. He looked up and saw Isabella with her bow, standing at a distance. She had let loose and arrow, aimed at Caleb, but Caleb moved, and now Gilan was standing right in the path of the arrow.

Just milliseconds after Isabella shot the arrow, Caleb had moved.

"Gilan!" She screamed in panic. Her arrow was heading straight towards him. She dropped the bow and took off running as fast as she could to where he was standing.

"Gilan! Duck!" she screamed. Gilan heard her frantic cries. He dropped to the ground.

_THUD!_

The arrow zoomed past where Gilan was standing and thudded into a tree. Isabella ran up to where Gilan was crouched on the ground.

"Oh my goodness Gilan! Are you ok? Are you hurt? I'm so sorry I was trying to…" Isabella was nearly panicking.

"I'm fine," Gilan said. He gave her a quick smile.

"Wasn't too bad of a shot though."

"I don't know if I want to say thanks to that," Isabella said. Caleb sat up.

"Who's that?" Isabella asked. Gilan looked at Caleb with an eyebrow raised.

"I don't know, but I sure would like to know." Gilan held out a hand and helped Caleb up, then threw a punch right into his jaw, knocking him out.

"Why did you do that?" Isabella asked Gilan.

"He tried to kill me," Gilan said.

"So does that mean you're going to hit me?" Gilan looked at her.

"Were you trying to kill me?"

"No," she said defensive. "But you just…"

"You were the one trying to shoot him with an arrow!" Gilan told Isabella.

"True, but he was trying to kill you," Isabella said.

"Which brings me back to my whole point!"

"About knocking him out?"

"Never mind," Gilan said. "Go get his horse."

"So you're kidnapping him?" Isabella queried. Gilan took a deep breath.

_Now I know how Halt must have felt, _he thought.

"In a matter of speaking, yes. Go get his horse," Gilan started tying Caleb's hand behind his back.

"Okay," Isabella said. She walked to where Caleb's black battle horse stood. She held her hand out to the massive horse. Cadence stuck her nose out and sniffed Isabella's hand. Isabella reached forward and grabbed the reins and started leading the horse towards Gilan. Gilan hefted up Caleb and tossed him onto the horse's back, but not without a struggle. Caleb was not small in build. He was every bit as big as Gilan, and Gilan struggled to get him onto the horse's back. Finally, he succeeded.

"Can you pick up all of the weapons?" Gilan asked Isabella.

"Sure," She said. The dark sky was becoming brighter as the sun started coming up.

"Still worried about rain?" Isabella asked Gilan.

"It will come when you least expect it, but no, I'm not worried," he said.

"Why?" Isabella asked.

"Because I think our little friend here knows where they came from."

Isabella stood with her mouth open, staring after Gilan like he had gone mad.

"What?" she ventured to ask. "You think he has something to do with the wargals?"

"Yes," Gilan said, somewhat annoyed. The questions never ended.

"So what are you going to do?" Isabella asked.

"Wait."

"Wait? What for?" Isabella asked.

"What do you think?" Gilan asked Isabella. "I know you can use your head to figure it out." Isabella looked at Caleb who was still unconscious.

"You are going to ask him where the wargals came from." Gilan raised an eyebrow.

"I plan on asking him a lot more than that," Gilan said. They made it back to their campsite. Blaze nickered at Gilan.

"Hey there girl," he said to the horse.

_Where were you?_

"I ran into some trouble."

_You are always getting into trouble._

"I don't get into trouble, trouble just finds me," Gilan said to his horse.

"You can say that again!" Isabella said.

"I wasn't talking to you," Gilan said dryly.

"Who were you talking to then?"

"Never mind."

Caleb started to stir. Gilan reached up onto the horse and drug Caleb off of the horse, trying not to drop him.

"Why did you do that?" Caleb asked Gilan.

"Why is everyone constantly asking me why did I do this, why did I do that? Now," Gilan said. "I have a few questions to ask you." Caleb tensed up.

"Who are you?" Gilan asked. Caleb locked his jaw. He might have spared this Ranger's life, but he had no intentions on being asked questions, then answering them. He ignored Gilan.

"Do you know anything about the wargals?" Gilan asked.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," Caleb replied. Gilan was getting frustrated.

"Let's start with what I do know: You're related somehow to Morgarath, you are alone, and you are trying to get to the Mountains of Rain and Night to find Kalkara to kill Horace?" Gilan phrased it more as a question.

"Well that seems to answer the questions you just asked me," Caleb said.

"Listen, I don't have time to put up with you. Answer my questions, and I'll let you go on your merry way, but if you don't…" Gilan let the sentence hang, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Well, let's just hope you don't have to find out." Isabella dropped her mouth. She grabbed Gilan's arm and jerked him towards her.

"Would you really torture him?" she whispered to Gilan. Gilan looked at her.

"No, I'm just trying to sound threatening so he'll answer my questions."

"Ok," Isabella said, letting go of Gilan's arm. "Just making sure." Gilan strode back to Caleb.

"Tell me, do you know anything about the wargals?" Caleb remained silent. Gilan didn't want to hurt Caleb but this was getting nowhere. He pulled out his saxe knife, and pressed it to his throat.

"If I were you I would get talking," Gilan said in a dangerously low voice.

"I can't talk when a knife is at my throat," Caleb said quietly. Gilan released the pressure. He took a quick look behind him and saw Isabella with her eyes bugging out of their sockets. As he removed the knife from Caleb's throat they slowly receded back into their sockets.

"So, what do you know about the wargals?" Gilan asked Caleb again.

"I know that you have about two days before they arrive in Morithia," Caleb said, glowering at Gilan.

"What are they planning on doing when they get to Morithia?"

"Wargals don't plan, and I already answered your question," Caleb said, rubbing his throat with his bound hands. Gilan heaved an angry sigh.

"Who's controlling the wargals?" Gilan asked.

"You said you would let me go if I answered your question."

"I said questions."

"Untie me first."

"No," Gilan said. He didn't trust this person.

"Fine, I just won't answer your questions." Caleb replied.

"You two are so annoying," Isabella said out of nowhere.

"What?" Gilan asked her.

"I thought you were interrogating him."

"I am," Gilan said.

"Looks more to me like your arguing," she said.

"Will you just shut up," Gilan asked.

"No, not until I know who ordered those wargals to kill my sister," Isabella said with heat.

"Well at the rate we're going, you're going to have to wait," Gilan said. He turned to Caleb.

"Can you at least tell me your name?" Gilan asked.

"Fine, it's Caleb."

"Ok, Caleb, if I untie you, will you run off?" Gilan asked.

"I give you my word," Caleb said. Gilan looked hard into Caleb's eyes, trying to see any trace of a lie. He didn't see any. He took the saxe knife and cut Caleb free. Gilan expected him to make a move to run away. Caleb rubbed his wrists.

"Who's controlling the wargals?" Gilan asked. Caleb took a breath. He did give the Ranger his word.

"My dad."

"You said he plans to invade Morithia?" Gilan asked. Caleb shook his head.

"You have about two days before he gets there."

"We need to ride hard then." Gilan looked to Isabella.

"Not again," she mumbled.

"Can I ask you one more thing, Caleb?" Gilan asked.

"You just did," Caleb said.

"Well, I'm going to ask you another one," Gilan said.

"How many wargals are attacking Morithia?"

"To put it mildly, a lot," Caleb said.

"Like…" Gilan let the sentence hang.

"Enough to take over Castle Morithia and then invade Araluen," Caleb said.

"Great," Gilan said. "We have two days to stop a whole invasion."

"Does that mean we have to ride really hard?" Isabella asked. Gilan took a deep breath. He didn't want to do what he was about to do.

"No, you are."


	12. The Paths Separate

**So I was a little worried about writing this chapter. let me know if you like it. If you guy/gals don't I'll try to re-write it. I want my followers to like the plot:) Enjoy!**

"What?" Isabella demanded. "Where are you going to be?" Gilan dragged her off to the side. He didn't want Caleb hearing.

"I'm going to get reinforcements. Araluen is about a one day hard ride from here. I hope to get Halt, Will, and possibly Horace to come help."

"So where will I be going?"

"You need to ride to Morithia and warn them. Your people might have a chance to fight them off if they are prepared."

"Gilan, are you honestly thinking that I can make to Castle Morithia in less than two days? It has taken us over a week to get here!"

"You're going to have to try," Gilan said.

"But what if…" she started. Gilan put a hand on her shoulder.

"No buts aloud, nobody really likes butts."

"That's what my Dad used to say."

"I know, and if you don't get going you might not see him again."

"I don't want to go alone, Gilan." Gilan looked at her.

"I know you don't, but you're going to have to be brave."

"Will you quit quoting my family? That's what Jaylen told me before she…she…died."

"Your family has some very good words to quote." Gilan looked at her reassuringly. Isabella took a deep breath and then stood up tall.

"I guess I had better get going then," she said. Gilan beamed at her.

"That's the spirit! I would have never guessed you were the same Isabella that I met a week ago."

Caleb watched as Gilan took Isabella to the side.

"Guess he's done with me," he said. He stood up and went to where Cadence was standing, tied to a tree.

"Ready to go girl?" he said to the horse. He needed to tell his dad that a Ranger now knew about his plans. Caleb cringed mentally. Maybe he shouldn't tell his dad. Maddox would probably be furious that Caleb had not only let a Ranger live, but he told him information.

_I'll have to tough it up, _he thought. He tightened Cadence's girth. He was about to mount up.

_Better tell the Ranger I'm leaving, just in case. I don't want to wake up with an arrow through me,_ Caleb thought. He walked over to where Gilan and Isabella were standing.

"Be careful, Isabella," the ranger was saying.

"You are wanting me to gallop into a war zone and be careful?"

"Will I ever have the last word with you?"

"No, you most definitely won't." Isabella said, grinning madly. Gilan turned abruptly as he heard Caleb approaching him.

"If you're done with me, I'll be leaving," Caleb said.

"Where might you be leaving to?" Gilan asked him.

"None of your business, Ranger," Caleb said, but he knew that Gilan probably knew where he would be going.

"I'm Gilan, just so you know Caleb. I have a feeling that we will be meeting again, but not under very pleasant circumstances."

"If you're wanting to kill me you'll have to get in line," Caleb said chuckling.

"I don't want to kill you," Gilan said. "But if I did, who would I be in line behind?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Well I would rather you would, 'cause I do want to kill you, and I need to know who I'm in line behind," Isabella said. Caleb looked at her in the eyes. They were so blue! Her blond hair was pulled back into a braid that was about to fall out. He wondered why she wanted to kill him. He wished she didn't.

"Why do you want to kill me?" Caleb asked her.

"Well, I would rather kill your dad, but if I killed you I would be just as happy." Gilan shot Isabella a look. 'You better watch what you say, you are about to ride a long distance by yourself,' it said.

"Your wonderful wargals killed my sister," she said darkly. Isabella felt a tear form in her eyes as she remembered his sister. So brave, so strong.

_I wonder what she would think of me now, _Isabella thought.

"Well…I'm…um… sorry to um… hear that," Caleb stammered. He and Isabella stared at each other for a long time.

"You need to get going, Isabella," Gilan said.

"Um…what? Oh, okay," She stammered. She turned and walked to where Spark was standing and tightened up his girth.

"I need to get going too," Caleb said, walking over to Cadence. Gilan watched him go out of the corner of his eyes. Caleb mounted up onto Cadence and took off. Content that he had left, Gilan walked over to Isabella.

"Be careful, Isabella," he said.

"Don't worry, Gilan, I'll be fine," Isabella said. She went to mount up, but Gilan put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Isabella, you know you might not make it in time, and you might not like what you find," he said.

"I know, Gilan that is why I need to ride as fast as I can. I can't lose another family member. If I lose my dad, well, I'm just not going to think about it." She swung lightly into the saddle.

"All I can say is this: my bum is going to be way sore after this ride!" she said cheerfully.

"Farwell, Isabella, I will see you in a few days."

"Goodbye, Gilan," Isabella said, then took off out of towards Morithia. Gilan watched her go. He had work to do. He strode over to Blaze.

"Ready to fly girl?" he asked his horse.

_Waiting on you._

"Let's get going then," he told the horse. He tightened the girth, and then mounted up. He took one last look at the quickly disappearing form of Isabella on Spark, then turned Blaze around and galloped off towards Araluen.


	13. A Stroll Thru the Rain

**Ok, another one of those chapters that I really had fun writing (not that I haven't had fun writing the rest:)) Hope you enjoy this! don't forget to review!**

Isabella pulled Spark down to a walk and looked behind her. She saw Gilan disappear behind the trees. She waved to him, but he couldn't see her. She turned back around in her saddle.

"C'mon Spark, we need to hurry," she told her horse. Spark shook his head. Isabella urged him into a canter. She felt how now instead of bouncing, she was rolling with the canter. Spark's canter was smooth and unwavering, not speeding up nor slowing down. If it wasn't for the constant sound of the thundering hooves of Spark, Isabella would think she was flying. The thunder of hooves grew louder, some more than others. She listened to the sound. It was comforting. The thunder of hooves boomed again, louder. Isabella listened.

_That's not hooves I'm hearing, _She thought. She looked up to the sky. It was growing darker.

_That's strange, it's not even noon yet,_ she thought to herself. She felt a cold splash on her nose, then another on her hand. Gilan's dreaded rain had arrived.

Maddox called a halt to the marching wargals. The rain was pouring, and the ground was a muddy mess. He rode to where a group of wargals were pushing a supply wagon. It had gotten stuck in the road. It wasn't the first. There had been many of them getting stuck in the sticky mud. He couldn't go on like this. The wargals were starting to tire from the forced march pace in the heavy mud, and always having to shove a wagon out of the mud. The wargals heaved on the wagon. It rolled forward a little, then back into the muddy rut. They heaved again, but to no avail. Maddox muttered a curse under his breath. He was already a day behind schedule. The swift two-day journey was at a three-day journey, almost a fourth. He didn't care about his troops, only how efficient they were, but still He couldn't expect to siege a castle with a worn out army.

_Another day lost, _He thought bitterly. He wanted his revenge, and he wanted it now.

"Curse you rain," he muttered darkly. He rode away from the struggling wargals towards the lead ranks.

"We'll break here," he said. One of the wargals reached for a horn and blew a long mournful note on it. It signified an end in the march, for the moment. A few wargals drug a tent out of a wagon and started pitching it for Maddox. He turned his horse towards it. The wargals had the tent up, and because of the mud they lay a big mat on the floor of it. Maddox dismounted his horse and handed the reins to a waiting wargal. He walked inside it and shrugged off his cloak, water pouring of off it as he did so. He listened to the _pitter-patter _of the rain on the canvas roof.

_Wonderful, just wonderful, _He thought darkly. A wargal brought in tankard of ale. Another brought in a chair. Maddox sat down in the chair and took a deep drink of the ale, and sighed contently, his dark thoughts melting away.

Isabella got off of Spark. There was a steep hill. It wouldn't of been to bad to ride down if it wasn't for the rain. She tested her weight on it. The green grass was deceiving. It made the ground look solid, but it was far from it. He foot started slipping down the hill. She took her hands and grabbed a hold of Spark's mane, trying to pull herself up.

"Sorry boy," she muttered as she heaved herself up. "The ground is slick." She patted Spark on the neck. His black coat was drenched with the pouring rain.

"Hopefully this will slow the wargals down," she said. She pulled the reins over Spark's head and started leading him carefully down the hill. At first he refused to budge, not wanting to go down the slick hill. Isabella finally convinced him to follow her though, although the horse did it reluctantly. Spark locked his knees as he slid down the hill, making a muddy trail as he did so. Isabella slid down with him, although not without a fall. She had made it halfway down the hill when slid wildly. One of his back legs thrashed out and hit Isabella in the back of her knees. Her legs gave way and she fell, rolling the rest of the way down the hill. There was a big muddy puddle of water at the base, directly in Isabella's path. She rolled into the muddy water. She raised her head. She couldn't see a thing. She took one of her muddy hand and dashed some of the mud from her face. She felt something warm on the back of her neck. She looked up to see Spark nuzzling her muddy neck. He seemed to be smiling at her.

"You did that on purpose didn't you?"

_Actually no, I didn't. I was terrified that you may have been hurt._

Isabella startled herself.

"I'm getting as crazy as Gilan, thinking my horse is talking to me," she mumbled to herself. She stood up and tried to wipe as much mud off of her as she could, but all she did was smear it everywhere. She sighed. This was going to be a miserable ride. She looked up to the sky. The rain poured down on her face, washing the mud off of it. She blinked her eyes, clearing some of the rainwater out of them.

"That's a little better," she said pulling the hood on her cloak back up onto her head.

_Little._

"I wasn't talking to you, Spark," she said.

_Who were you talking to then? Surly not yourself._

Now she knew how Gilan must feel, never being able to get the last word with your horse.

"I have gone crazy," she mumbled, clambering up into Spark's saddle.

_You most certainly have._

Isabella wisely ignored her horse and set off at a trot, carefully watching the ground for any slick patches. When she thought the ground was safe enough, she urged Spark back into a canter.

Gilan reined Blaze in and dismounted, leaving the horse un-tethered. He jogged lightly up onto the porch of a little log cabin. Before he could even knock a grim figure opened the door.

"What are you doing here Gilan?" Halt demanded. Gilan held his hands out in dismay.

"How do you do it Halt? You knew it was me before you opened the door!"

"I've heard you clamber up those steps a gazillion times." He opened the door wider for Gilan to step through.

"So how was your little escort mission? Get the princesses to King Duncan?" Gilan hung his cloak up on one of the wooden pegs by the door and stood by the fire that crackled cheerfully in Halt's cabin.

"I wish it was as easy as that," Gilan said.

"What do you mean?" Halt asked, his curiosity perked.

"Well, one of the princesses, Jaylen, was killed." Halt raised his eyebrows, surprise written all over his face. Gilan sniggered; he had never seen Halt curious.

"By wargals." Halt dropped the coffee cup in his hand on the ground. It clattered onto the ground and broke.

"What?" Halt barked. "Wargals?" Just then Will walked in the door with Horace at his heels. He and Horace had just finished taking care of a group of bandits.

"Gilan!" Will exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean wargals?" Halt asked.

"Wargals?" Horace said. "What is going on? Why are you talking about wargals?"

"There is a whole army of them. They are attacking Morithia, and then after they establish a stronghold there they will move into Araluen."

"I thought I killed Morgarath," Horace said. "Did he come back to life?" Horace added with fear in his voice.

"No, it's not Morgarath it's..." Gilan let the sentence hang, hoping to be dramatic.

"Who is it, Gil?" Will asked.

_How did I know it was going to be him, _Gilan thought.

"Morgarath had a son, and a grandson at that," Gilan said. Will's and Horace's mouths dropped wide open.

"So Morgarath's offspring are controlling the wargals?" Halt asked

"The way it sounded to me was it was just Morgarath's son. The grandson just does his bidding."

"How do you know that?" Halt asked.

"I had a nice little chat with the grandson. Very nice fellow when he's not trying to kill you."

"Where is he?" Halt asked.

"You sure are asking a lot of questions Halt," Gilan said grinning. Halt glowered at him.

"Ok, sorry! I let him go," Gilan said. Halt raised his eyebrows at his used-to-be-apprentice. He trusted that Gilan knew what he was doing.

"What about the other princess? Is she dead? I don't think the king of Morithia is going to be happy that both of his daughters were killed while you were supervising them," Halt said.

"No, she is quite alive. She is actually on her way to Morithia to warn them about the wargal attack."

"So I guess that means you want us to go to Morithia with you?" Will asked. He had finally gained his composure after his initial shock. Horace was still standing with his mouth open.

"Yup, it sure does. We need to hurry. We have about two days, maybe three if the rain delayed them before the wargals reach Morithia."

"Should we ask the Baron for an army?" Will asked Gilan. Gilan shook his head.

"There won't be time for a whole army to make the trip to Morithia. The attack would be over. But an accomplished knight and three highly qualified Rangers might make a difference.

"I only see one highly qualified Ranger in here, and it most definitely isn't you Gilan," Halt said dryly.

"So I guess we get to ride a long ride in the rain?" Will asked. Gilan grinned.

"We sure do!" He said happily. Horace came out of his trance.

"Darn, I really was looking forward to a comfortable night indoors," Horace said.

"Well, too bad Horace, you get a nice stroll thru the rain!" Gilan replied to Horace's comment.

"A stroll? If I'm going with three rangers, I highly doubt it will be a stroll."

"You're right Horace," Gilan said, grinning madly. "It will be far from it."


	14. Prepare For Battle!

**I don't have much to say about this chapter:) just two things: Thanks you FarmersDaughter and Writer-born-from-Shadows for all the reviews and...what do I usually say? Enjoy and keep reviewing!**

Jacer looked up from sharpening a sword to see a rider riding a black horse wearily canter across the drawbridge. The rider's cloak was caked in mud, and the horse's head hung low, as if it had been ridden hard for a long period of time. He dropped the sword and ran to where the rider was sliding off the horse.

"Jaylen!" Jacer yelled. He ran towards the figure. The person shoved the hood back of their cloak to show a muddy face. The horse was black, but its legs were covered in mud.

_I thought Jaylen's horse was a bay, _He thought. The figure ran towards him.

"Dad!" she yelled. "It's me, Isabella." Jacer's mouth dropped.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

"It's a really long story," Isabella said. Jacer scooped her up in a bear hug.

"What are you doing here? Where is your sister? Where is that Ranger at?" he asked her. Isabella looked up from the bear hug. Jacer saw a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Do you want the good news, the bad news, or the really bad news first?" Isabella asked.

"Let's go inside first," Jacer said.

"I need to take care of Spark first, Dad. He's been such a good boy."

"Don't worry, the stable hands will take care of him," Jacer said. Isabella looked back. Sure enough the stable hands were all ready leading Spark to the stables. Jacer put an arm around Isabella's shoulder and they walked into the castle keep together.

"There is a whole army of wargals coming to attack Morithia," Isabella told her dad. They were in his office. Isabella had changed into a clean pair of clothes and washed her face. She still had some mud caked in her hair. She had decided to wait on a bath. She needed to talk to her dad as quickly as possible.

"What does an army of wargals want with Morithia? I thought those Araluens took care of that Morgarath who was controlling the wargals years ago," Jacer said.

"Well, he has a son," Isabella started, then added somewhat wistfully: "and a grandson at that. Supposedly they are going to take over Morithia, then move into Araluen, so that brings me to the good news: Gilan, the Ranger, is getting some reinforcements for us. Not a whole army but a few extra Rangers and a knight."

"How long until the wargals get here?" Jacer asked.

"I actually figured they would be here by now, so I guess that means anytime now," Isabella said. Jacer tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"You know that all sounds pretty crazy to me," Jacer said. Isabella looked at him.

"I didn't make it up, Dad," Isabella said with some force. Jacer chuckled.

"You've changed, Izy. Speaking of which, where is your sister?" Jacer asked. Isabella took a deep breath. She knew this wasn't going to go good. Her eyes misted slightly with tears.

"She's dead."

"What?!" Maddox roared. Caleb cowered slightly. He should have known his dad wasn't going to take the news well.

"You not only had the chance to kill a Ranger and let him live, but you also told him information?!" Maddox's face was red with anger. Caleb gulped nervously.

"I take it that you never found the Kalkara, right?"

"The Ranger forced me to tell him! When he let me go, I thought I should come and tell you immediately," Caleb replied to his father's outrage.

"Just as well he didn't kill you," Maddox said under his breath. "You really should consider not thinking."

"So you would rather me be dead now?" Caleb asked with bitterness in his voice.

_Why does everyone want to kill me?_ He thought.

"If it meant you would have killed the Ranger or not of told him of my plans, boy, yes," Maddox said angrily. Caleb now knew he would never be able to prove himself to his dad now. He slumped his shoulders. Caleb turned stiffly and walked out of the tent.

"What a mess," He said under his breath. He strode over to where Cadence was standing patiently, being held by a wargal. The wargal kept looking at the horse in fear. Caleb took the reins from him and the wargal scurried off. Caleb reached up and petted Cadence's wet forelock.

"What a mess girl, what a mess," he told her quietly.

Jacer was taking deep breaths, trying to keep his composure. In a little corner of his mind, he wanted to get angry with Isabella, but in the large part of his mind, he knew he had no reason to.

"How?" Jacer asked, trying not to sob. Isabella put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Isabella asked.

"Yes," he replied.

"We were ambushed by wargals. Jaylen tried to shoot one but she hit it in the eye. It advanced too fast for her to get another shot in, and…and…" Isabella was starting to cry now.

"…It killed her." Jacer's shoulders shook.

"Dad?" Isabella asked.

"Just a moment Izy," he said thru sobs, putting a hand on Isabella's hand. He took in a couple huge breaths of air. He looked up into Isabella's eyes. Tears were streaming down his face, but a dangerous glint was in his eyes.

"Those wargals will be in for a nasty surprise when they get here," he said. He stood up, wiping his eyes as he did so. He walked out of the giant wooden door and jogged lightly down the steps of the keep. Isabella followed him, stumbling as she tried to match his long stride. They were in the courtyard. Jacer found an old wooden crate and stood on it.

"Men!" he yelled. The soldiers, knights, and servants stopped what they were doing and looked towards their king.

"A new threat has been threatening Morithia, and up until now we have not known what it is. Now we do. Wargals will be attacking this castle any day now. You must arm yourselves for battle!" he cried. Several of the knights and soldiers shouted excitement.

"I also must tell you of this," he said, his voice growing quieter. "One of my daughters and your princess, Jaylen, has been killed." The gathered people looked at him expectantly.

"By wargals." All of the people roared. Jaylen was a popular princess. And to be killed by wargals? The people of Morithia were enraged.

"They try to take our country!" Jacer cried. The people roared again.

"They take one of my daughters!" the people yet again roared.

"They will find that Morithians will not tolerate that! We will greet their arrival with a nasty surprise!" All of the people roared their agreement.

"Prepare for battle!" Jacer cried.


	15. Arrival

**I have a betareader now! Thank you Writer-born-from-Shadows! woo hoo! This story is going to be soooooooooo much better! Enjoy and review!**

Isabella stood in her room quickly braiding her now clean hair. She hadn't felt this clean in weeks! She picked up Jaylen's dagger and buckled it around her waist, then slung the quiver full of arrows over her shoulders and picked up her bow.

_Jaylen's bow. _She thought to herself wistfully. She looked at the girl in the mirror who was now far from the spoiled brat who left this castle not so long ago. She eventually grinned as she realized that she had grown so much.

_I can't believe that's me, _she thought. She took one last look around the room and walked out the door.

The sounds of weapons clanging and people shouting were what greeted the young girl as she walked out to the courtyard. She saw her dad deep in conversation with a general. Isabella approached him.

"Do you think they'll attack us from the rear or do you think they'll try a frontal assault?" The general asked.

"I don't know. I would think that they will come from the west and try to attack us out front and swarm us with their numbers," Jacer answered.

"So you think it's best if we keep a decent force up on the walls but keep the main force down here in the courtyard?" The general asked

"What about having the cavalry down here and all the foot soldiers and archers up on the walls so when the wargals come you can charge them with the cavalry and rain arrows down on them from above," Isabella chimed in confidently.

Jacer looked his daughter, surprise and confusion evident in his eyes.

"When did you become so interested in tactics?" He asked, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

"You sent me off with a Ranger, what else do you expect?" She replied, grinning. Jacer patted her on the back. She could tell her father was impressed by her sudden change in interests and maturity.

"She said exactly what I was thinking, general," Jacer said, a smile forming. She just made her father proud.

"It seems like a good plan," The general stroked his chin. Just like Isabella's father, he was also impressed. "Shall I go prepare the cavalry?"

Jacer nodded. "As soon as possible."

The general started towards the barn, barking orders to lazy soldiers as he went.

Jacer lead Isabella to a corner.

"Before the fighting starts, I want you to go with the women and children to Refuge Cave."

The latter frowned as she realized what Jacer wanted her to do. Refuge Cave was a cave outside castle walls of Morithia. It was big, with enough room for thousands of people to hide in. He didn't want her to fight.

"Couldn't I stay with you?" she asked

Her father shook his head in reply. She saw his face and knew that it would be almost impossible to oppose him then when he looked that sure. She decided to try though. _Better than nothing._

"I can stay with the archers, I know how to shoot a bow now," She pleaded with her dad, showing him Jaylen's bow and how she could properly hold it.

"Isabella, I have already lost one daughter, and that's more than enough, I can't bear the thought of losing another one."He replied. She could see it in his face that it was still weighing on him greatly. She couldn't blame him, though. It had not been too long since he found out the news.

"But dad…" Isabella tried one last time.

"No buts allowed, nobody really likes a butt." Jacer said to his daughter, adding the last joke in an attempt to lighten the tone. "Understand?"His voice was now much lighter as if he was talking to a child.

Isabella lowered her eyes.

"Yes dad," she mumbled.

"What was that?" Jacer asked, his tone now a mixture between firmness and flexibility.

"Yes dad," she replied louder. Jacer hugged her.

"You know I love you very much, Izy."

Isabella nodded in defeat. "I love you too, Dad."

The rain had cleared. Caleb rode up beside his dad and watched the chanting wargals slowly continue their way to Morithia. There was an ugly silence between the father and son.

It was Caleb who finally broke the silence.

"Dad?" He asked

"What?" Maddox simply said.

"How many more days until we get to Morithia?" He continued some hesitation in his voice.

"Maybe you should ask your Ranger friend," Maddox said quietly and angrily, the sarcasm thick in his voice. "But if you must know, tomorrow."

"Can I have permission to go in with the first line?" Caleb asked. He knew that being in the first line would most likely mean he would be killed.

_Maybe that would please dad. _He thought bitterly

"Permission granted," Maddox said. Through his father's emotionless face, Caleb could not tell what his dad was thinking. In the end, He just allowed himself a brief nod then spun Cadence around and rode towards the front line of wargals.

Isabella woke up from her light sleep and looked around the cave. A few torches cast the shadows of hundreds of women and children on the walls.

She was aware that a sound or movement must have woken her up. She listened hard. _They weren't far from Castle Morithia._ She crawled on her hands and knees to the cave entrance. The cave was much like a balloon in shape, being narrow at the opening and then widening the farther you went in. She took a peek at the view outside the castle and realized what had woken her up .It was chanting. The wargals had arrived.

Jacer stood on the walls looking out at what was happening. The wargals were forming up. The sound of their chanting was nerve chilling, but the wargals weren't what were drawing his attention. It was the four riders coming from the opposite direction. Jacer recognized the molted cloaks of the Rangers, but the fourth rider he wasn't so sure who it was.

"Lower the drawbridge!" Jacer called down. The gatekeeper obliged, and the drawbridge was slowly lowered. The four riders cantered onto it, then brought their horses to a stop as soon as they reached the courtyard.

"Ranger Gilan! Isabella told me that you would be coming. Who are your friends?" Jacer asked.

Gilan dismounted from Blaze and shook the king's hand.

"She did, I see. I'm glad she made it back here. I was scared she wouldn't make it." Gilan said. Horace, Will, and Halt all dismounted.

"These here are Halt, Will, and Horace," Gilan said, each in turn shaking Jacer's hand.

"Quite a nerve-racking chant, isn't it?" Jacer asked.

Gilan nodded. "Very." He loosened the sword in his scabbard."Where do you want us situated?"

"Up on the walls. You and your friends can help the archers," Jacer replied.

"There's one problem with that," Horace added bashfully. "I don't shoot a bow."

"So you're a swordsman?" Jacer asked, noting the sword in Horace's side. "What else can you do?

"Aside from eating everything in your home…" Halt muttered, almost to himself.

"I'm a knight, sir. What all knights can do." Horace replied.

"You can stay with the cavalry," Jacer suggested. Horace nodded and mounted back up onto Kicker and made his way to the rest of the cavalry.

Jacer gestured to the three Rangers to follow him and together they made their way up onto the wall. From there, they looked out at the were assembled in a surprisingly organized manner for a bunch of beasts and a man on a pale white horse was riding through their ranks. He stopped by a boy on a big black battle horse, who was at the front line, and leaned over as if to whisper something to him. The boy nodded his head and urged his horse forward, the wargals following behind. Gilan took a hushed breath. The boy was Caleb.

Isabella heard the wargals chanting die away, then come back more intense. She looked back into the cave.

_The people are still asleep_. She silently apologized to her father, walked back to her sleeping space and grabbed the bow lying there. Spark was standing towards left side of the cave opening. Isabella grabbed him and led him outside of the cave into the open. She mounted the horse and took off galloping towards the castle.

"We aren't going to let my Dad have all the fun, are we now boy?" She said to Spark, trying to mask her horse responded with a burst of speed, taking Isabella flying over the ground and to the castle until she reached the back wall. She looked down at the moat that was obstructing her way

"I didn't think about this." She muttered, mentally scolding herself."

_You didn't. _Spark nickered as if to mock her.

"Spark, you are so annoying sometimes."

_So are you._

"I do know of a secret entrance."

Spark did not nicker anything in reply and instead just pricked his ears

Isabella smirked. She had finally had the last word with her horse. She led him around to the side of the castle. The moat was narrower there. Just as she remembered, there was a small wooden door there.

"Jaylen sneaked out of this door many a times," She told Spark, another memory of her lost sister making her teary eyed. "But I don't know how she did it."

_I do._

"Oh really, you now?" Isabella asked Spark.

_You don't remember? You told the story about Jaylen doing it, but you're just forgetting one thing._

"She jumped the narrow part of the moat, didn't she?"

Spark nodded his head as if to say she was correct

"And she landed in the other side! Spark you're a genius!" She said gleefully and hugged the neck of the horse.

_I know._

Isabella didn't know if Spark really did talk to her or if the death of her sister was just getting to her head but as long as it helped it was fine. She took a deep breath

"I've never jumped before."

_I have._

"How? I have never jumped you before."

_Jaylen._

Isabella's eyes widened.

"She rode you? _My_ horse?" For an instance, she was annoyed in a shallow way with her dead sister.

_You can't blame her. You never rode me back then._ He neighed

The young girl sighed in reply. _No use being mad at a dead person for using your horse without permission._

Isabella turned Spark away and rode a good distance away from the moat. After doing that she turned around. She grabbed a handful of Spark's mane and urged him into a gallop. His hooves thundered on the ground, Isabella felt her heart race. She felt as if she was falling off the horse. She clutched his mane desperately and closed her eyes. She felt him go up into the air. She felt that moment that lasted less than a second .She was airborne.

Spark's body stretched out as he reached towards the other side. There was plenty of landing room for him. Isabella wasn't ready for the impact when his legs hit the ground though. Consequently, she jolted in the saddle and toppled off, landing in a heap on the grass on the other side. Spark landed and cantered towards her.

_How was that?_

"My bum is really sore now."


	16. The Battle Begins

**Writer-born-from-Shadows- Thank you for being my awesome beta reader! I was a little worried about the Caleb and Isabella thing. Glad you liked it!**

**FarmersDaughter- You are right about the galloping to a jump. it does put a lot of pressure on the legs, so don't do that at home:) **

_SLAM!_

A boulder from a catapult was hurled into the wall of Castle Morithia.

_SLAM!_

Then another one. Jacer felt the wall begin to give in to the power of both the catapult and the boulder combined.

_SLAM!_

The wall collapsed. Jacer felt himself fall along with the wall. Boulders were flying all around him.

For a second, he thought a he was going to fall to his death until a hand reached out to grab him. It was Gilan. The ranger hauled him back up onto the remaining part of the front wall.

"Thanks," Jacer said briefly. Gilan nodded his head. Will and Halt were shooting arrows at the Wargals with impressive speed. They aimed at the wargals that were controlling the catapults. The catapults instantly stopped, for the moment, as more wargals were filling the places of their dead comrades. Jacer took ten deep breaths, trying to control his nerves. The first line of wargals was almost upon them now. They were at the destroyed drawbridge.

"Archers!" Jacer yelled. The archers angled their bows down. There was a moment of what seemed to be silence to the king, when he could only hear the sound of his pounding heart, then the sound of bowstrings being released filled his ears. The battle had begun.

Isabella stood up, rubbing her backside as she did so. She stepped carefully over towards the old wooden door. She heaved on it, trying to pull it out towards her. It didn't budge.

"Blast!" She muttered. She tried again, harder, but still the rickety door wouldn't budge.

"To be stopped by a stupid door," she muttered silently.

_Doors can't be stupid, only people._

"I didn't ask your advice, Spark."

_But I thought you said that _I_ was a genius._

"You can't be a genius all the time," Isabella said to her horse.

_Yes I can._

Isabella rolled her eyes at her horse. She started to run her hand up above the door, trying to find a key. She searched the ground, trying to find one. She sat down in defeat.

"Great just great," she muttered under her breath. She leaned her back on the door. The door squealed, opening. Isabella fell backwards and rolled down the stone steps and into the castle.

"OUCH!" she yelled. She just lay down on the ground and put her hand on her face.

"I really didn't just do that, did I?" Spark peaked his black face in through the door and looked at Isabella.

_Told you you were stupid._

"More of your wonderful wisdom I presume?" Isabella said sarcastically.

_No, just some of my genius brain._

Spark carefully made his way down the stone steps. Isabella stood up, brushing the dirt off of her. The ceiling trembled violently all of the sudden.

"I guess Morithia is under attack," she said. She led Spark out of the old room and down a hall. There was a door at the end. It was a servant's entrance to the courtyard. Isabella froze in place. She heard a scream, and the sound of clashing weapons. She nocked an arrow in her bow. She started towards the door. She looked behind her. Spark was frozen in place.

"What's the matter boy?"

_Nothing's wrong with me, it's you I'm worried about._

"Why are you worried about me?"

_You aren't going to like what you see out there._

Isabella walked towards him.

"I know, but this is my country that I'm going to fight for," she said. "And my sister." Spark lowered his head, then raised it and looked at Isabella in the eyes.

_Well, I guess somebody needs to come along to keep you out of trouble._

Isabella shook her head, and then hugged Spark around the neck.

"You are such a good boy, Spark."

_I know, and you are a stupid girl._

Isabella rolled her eyes at her horse one more time, then walked to the door. She could hear the deafening sounds of battle that was happening beyond it,Spark right behind her. She gently pushed on the door for it to open enough for someone to peek through. Isabella peeped out at the wargals desperately fighting the Morithian cavalry. She shoved the door open and ran to Spark's side and mounted up on him, being careful not to bump her head on the low ceiling. She urged him into a canter and she ducked low in the saddle as they cantered through the doorway. Isabella gasped as she saw all of the dead and bloody bodies of horses, men, and wargals. She recovered from her initial shock.

"For Jaylen!" she cried and raised her bow and shot a wargal.

"For Dad!" she cried and shot another.

"For Gilan!" Yet another wargal fell from an arrow from Isabella's bow.

"For Caleb," she whispered. She raised the bow. A person on a black battle horse was fighting furiously with a Morithian knight. She aimed the bow at the person on the black battle horse, and shot. The Morithian knight fell to the person on the black battle horse's sword. The person wheeled his horse around and Isabella saw his face, and he saw hers. Isabella didn't waste another moment. She urged Spark into a gallop, trampling any wargals in her way.

"Caleb, duck!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Caleb couldn't hear her above all the noises of battle.

"Get out of the way!" She screamed at him. All Caleb could hear was a faint '…the way'. It registered with him. He looked up and sure enough an arrow was zooming towards him. He spun Cadence to the side, and the arrow struck right where he had been standing. Isabella rode Spark up next to him.

"Why are you always doing that?" Caleb asked her.

"Doing what?" Isabella replied in turn.

"Trying to shoot all your friends."

"Friends?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in the manner that Gilan always did.

"Last I checked, we were enemies," she finished.

"In all honesty,I don't want to be an enemy," Caleb said bluntly. Isabella closed her eyes and recalled the image of Caleb killing one of the Morithian knights. He was her enemy. She couldn't fall in love with him.

"Well it looks like you have no say in that," she said.

"You know that knight was trying to kill me," Caleb said.

"You really need to decide on whose side you are on, Caleb," Isabella said harshly, then spun Spark around and rode towards the demolished front wall.

Jacer plunged his sword into a wargal. He had no time to be disgusted as the blood spluttered on him and the wargal went down. He raised his sword and blocked a stroke from another oncoming wargal. Their swords locked. Jacer took his shield and swung it towards the wargal's face. The force of the big shield with the power of Jacer's strong arms slammed at the wargal's face, weakening its hold on its sword. Jacer took his sword and took a swing at its wargal was still stunned by the blow to the face and that gave Jacer enough opportunityto decapitate it.

The king was ready for the next wargal, but strangely the one starring at him was frozen in place. It fell over, revealing an arrow in its back. He looked up, expecting to see Gilan or one of the other Rangers, but instead he saw a figure riding towards him. He was filled with rage as he saw who it was.

"Isabella." He muttered. _That can't be my daughter._

"Dad!" Isabella yelled.

"Isabella! What the heck are you doing here? I told you…"

"I know dad, but…"

"What were you think-? Wait what _are _you thinking?" He yelled. Isabella knew he must be mad if he didn't make a comment about her saying 'but'.

"You could be killed!"

"Dad, calm down! I'm not dead yet!" She dismounted off of Spark and hugged her dad. He hugged her back.

"I can't lose you too." He whispered to her.

"Don't worry, you won't." She looked up at her dad. She looked over his shoulder.

"Dad…" That moment with her father did not last since she, then noticed the charging wargal behind him . "Look out!"

Her father quickly looked back and deflected the sword thrust that was coming at him.

"Oh no…" Isabel said as she realized what was happening.

The second line of Wargals was coming.


	17. Change in Sides

**A BIG thank you to my beta Savannah Silverstone (used to be Writer-born-from-Shadows). The new cover art is by one of my friends. She drew it for me since my artistic ability is zero:)Don't forget to review! (I like criticism!) Enjoy!**

Isabella nocked an arrow ready to shoot. She looked at her father who was swinging his sword back and forth, threatening any wargal who comes near.

She was almost halfway through her quiver when she heard the hum of another bow being fired behind her. She turned and saw Gilan shoot an arrow at more of the oncoming wargals.

"Long time no see." She said. There was no time to show her excitement in seeing her friend again.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here." Gilan replied.

Isabella gave him a wolfish smile."Well, I couldn't let you guys have all the fun, now could I?"

"You call this fun?" Jacer chimed in.

Isabella seemed to consider for a moment.

"Not really…" It was then that she heard the sound of more Wargals marching, most probably ready to attack.

"How many of them are there?" Isabella asked as she surveyed their new threat.

"More than you can handle," Gilan put in teasingly.

"I know that," Isabella retorted with mock annoyance

"How about too many? Is that a good enough answer for you?" Jacer asked through the roar of the Wargals that was getting louder and louder

"Master Obvious" Isabella said under her breath, rolling her eyes. "Any more helpful obvious advice from you two?" Isabella asked sarcastically.

The two were silent for a while.

"Let's just focus on the situation at hand." Jacer said, trying to block out any other jibes he was making in his head or expecting from the other two.

The wargals kept up a steady march towards the demolished gate. Isabella drew her bow, aimed, and shot. The arrow hissed through the air in a deadly arc. It struck one of the lead wargals in the chest. It fell with a groan of that,Isabella nocked another arrow on her bow.

"Save it," Gilan advised, looking pointedly at her arrows that were now dwindling in number ."You're going to need what's left, later." Isabella nodded her head in acknowledgment, but she still left the arrow nocked. The wargals halted right before the drawbridge. A tall figure on a ghostly white battle horse brandished his sword from the midst of the wargals.

"CHARGE!" he yelled. The wargals ran forward. Isabella, Jacer, and Gilan backed away from the demolished drawbridge to avoid being trampled by the oncoming wargals. Isabella's bow hummed as she drew, aimed, and shot at the wargals. She was nowhere near as fast as Gilan, whose bow was a streak of lightning in his hands, but she was fairly quick. Isabella looked at the figure on the ghostly battle horse.

_He seems like a good target, _she thought. She brought her bow up,aimed and shot. The arrow arced towards him. It would have been a perfect killing shot if the figure hadn't moved. The arrow slammed into his shoulder and the man let out a scream of agony as blood began to trickle down his back. The wargals hesitated for a second, then receiving a command, continued hacking away at the Morithians. The man on the horse looked to see where the arrow came from. He locked his black pitiless eyes onto Isabella's blue eyes, then after hastily but painfully pulling the arrow out of his shoulder, he started riding towards the young girl.

Isabella felt the cold dark eyes bore into hers. She looked behind her, hoping to see Gilan or Jacer, but they were too busy fighting their own band of arrow supply exhausted, Gilan abandoned the bow and was now at work with his sword.

Isabella gulped nervously. She was going to have to face this alone. She nocked an arrow, and prepared to fight for her life.

Maddox smiled for the first time as he saw how easy this was going to be. He half expected to have to face off against a ranger, but a girl who was armed with only a bow and looked to be no older than seventeen?

_This is too easy. _He thought to himself. He saw her nock an arrow, but knowing it wasn't too much of a treat, he kept riding towards her. He saw the arrow come racing towards him. He held his shield up, blocking it, and grinned maliciously at the girl. He saw a look of fear appear on her face and watched as she fumbled and readied another arrow. Maddox started swinging his sword in a circle, gaining momentum. He swung the sword as an overhead at Isabella, planning to kill her with just one swift move.

There was resistance though. He looked down to see the girl but it wasn't her holding a sword against his. It was his son.

_So, this is how it's going to be. _He thought.

"So nice of you to show up, Caleb," Maddox said. He didn't even bother to mask the fury in his voice, not one bit.

Caleb gulped nervously. He had acted on an impulse, seeing his Dad about to kill the first girl he had ever liked. He took a deep breath, Isabella's words echoing in his head: _"You really need to decide whose side you are on, Caleb."_ He had decided. He felt different as he was about to fight his dad. Before, he had felt like he was trying to prove himself, to show how brave he was, but now, he had found something he loved, and he was determined not to lose it.

Maddox and Caleb's horses circled, each one waiting for the other to make a move. Maddox feigned a sword strike.

Caleb knew it was fake, and ignored it. He then swung his sword at his father. Maddox, expecting a feint attack was sloppy in his block. Caleb took advantage of the moment of sloppiness, knowing it probably wouldn't happen again soon, and shoved his shield into his Dad's. Maddox grunted in pain and gave some ground. He had ignored and eventually forgot about the pain of the arrow wound .This surprising flash of almost unbearable pain was the price.

Caleb kept pushing forward, driving Maddox back.

_Enough is enough, _Maddox thought. He brought his sword in an overhead cut at Caleb, and then quickly followed up by nudging his horse with his legs and sending it smashing into Cadence. Cadence's legs buckled, and she fell on her knees. Caleb looked up in fear as his Dad was coming upon him. The rattled horse heaved herself back up, but was off-balance. Maddox tried the same maneuver again.

Caleb tried to urge Cadence out of the way but the unbalanced mare couldn't match the speed that was needed to get out of the way. She fell again, but this time on her side. The rider managed to jump from his saddle and rolled onto the hard ground, winded. He got his breath back and looked worried. lt at Cadence who still lying on her side.

Maddox dismounted from his horse and advanced towards Caleb. The latter readied his sword and shield as he watched his opponent raise his own.

Maddox swung his sword at his son's side. Caleb blocked the blow with his shield, feeling the immense power behind his Dad's blows. Caleb swung his sword at Maddox's shield. It hit with a thud.

With that, Maddox grimaced. He could feel his arrow wound start to throb.

That few seconds it took for his father to recover from the last hit was another freed his sword from the shield and swung overhead at his injured opponent .Despite his injuries Maddox saw it coming early enough and was able sidestepped out of the way.

Caleb watched with panic as his sword thudded into the ground where Maddox was just a few seconds ago then he felt his father's knee drive into his stomach.

"Umph," Caleb grunted as he fell to the ground, his sword falling with a clang beside him. Maddox kicked it out of Caleb's reach, then put his foot onto Caleb's shield, pinning it to the ground.

"This was not how I hoped you would turn out," Maddox said to his son, disappointment and anger mixed with his voice. It was funny just a week ago, Caleb would have been greatly affected by this kind of tone from his father

"I know how you wanted me to turn out," Caleb said through gritted teeth. "Trust me, this is better."

"As you wish," Maddox said. Caleb tried to wriggle free from his shield but to no avail. He closed his eyes as Maddox raised his sword and it began its plunge towards Caleb's heart. Strangely though, he hadn't felt anything, all he was able see at that moment was blackness.


	18. The First Kiss

**Hope y'all enjoy this chapter! Don't be afraid to criticize this! A big thank you to my wonderfully awesome betareader Savannah Silverstone. Enjoy and review!**

Gilan put a consoling hand around Isabella. She had her face buried in her Father's prone body. Her shoulders heaved violently as she cried.

It was only a few minutes ago when Jacer had seen Maddox riding towards his daughter and how Caleb had defended her. When Maddox was about to bring his sword down into Caleb, Jacer jumped forward and blocked the stroke. Maddox had met his match.

The fight was long and drawn out, but Jacer had gained the upper hand and plunged his sword through his opponent, but the latter wasn't dead yet.

Jacer turned away from the fight too early. Isabella had screamed a warning to him, but Maddox didn't want to die without taking someone with him. He grasped his sword weakly and thrust it through the unknowing king.

Maddox died a few seconds after, and the wargals, with no one to control their minds, were not too hard for the remaining soldiers to push out of Morithia.

"Daddy…" Isabella sobbed. "Come on… Wake up…" She gently pushed him, hoping he'd start moving, talking, _anything_.

Despite the young girl's best efforts though, he still didn't wake up. Isabella screamed in agony.

"It's not fair!" she said in between sobs. "Why did he have to die? First my sister, now my dad!"

Gilan tried to calm the sobbing girl, but she wasn't listening.

"Even Caleb…" She sobbed. " Everyone who tries to help me ends up dead!"

"I'm not dead," Gilan said, mostly as a weak effort to cheer the young girl up.

Isabella raised her tear-stained face and looked at him. She tried to put on a weak smile, but tears were still streaming down her cheeks."

"You're right, you _are_ still alive, but for how much longer?" She narrowed he red-rimmed eyes at the ranger.

"For as long as you need me," Gilan answered. He reached out a hand to help Isabella up. She ignored it though.

She took her Dad's sword and laid it on his chest, folded his arms over it, then gently put her fingers to his eyes and closed them, allowing the tears from her eyes to fall onto his face. She then took Gilan's hand and heaved herself up. She looked around at the dead bodies of Morithians lying all over the ground. Some were crying out in pain as they were taken to receive medical attention. Others were still, lifeless, just like her Father.

Isabella felt more tears prick the side of her eyes, ready to come out. She couldn't stand any more death. She choked for a second, then buried her head in her hands and cried again. This time, harder. Two litter bearers _**(*I think that is what they are called*)**_ came and gently lifted Jacer unto a litter, and carried him away. Gilan had left to see how his comrades were.

Isabella watched the two people take her father away.

_They would prepare him for burial_. She thought and she slowly but surely started to acknowledge the fact that he wasn't waking up anymore. She watched as others bodies were being picked up. Tears were sliding down her cheeks again .Those were her father's people. Those were her people. Dead. Wounded.

_Why? _She thought. _Why did all these people have to die? Heck, why do people even start wars when the price is so high?_

"Isabella! Isabella!" Isabella turned at the sound of her name. Gilan was running towards her. "Come, quick!"

She followed the excited Ranger to where a black battle horse was standing, and a stunned Caleb sitting up.

Isabella stopped dead in her tracks, stunned.

_I saw Maddox kill him! _She thought.

"I thought you were dead!" She blurted. Caleb looked at Isabella, surprised to see her.

"I thought I was dead too." He gave a weak smile. "But I guess I just passed out." He slowly pushed himself up. He saw the still form of his dad on the ground.

Caleb gave a sad smile and felt the tears come. "He wasn't much of a father, but he was the only one I had." He quickly dashed them away, not wanting anyone to see him cry.

He saw Isabella with red rimmed eyes, and noticed that her father wasn't beside her. He put two and two together and he realized what just happened to her.

_We both lost our Fathers. _He thought.

He gave Isabella a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry Izzy."

The young girl was slightly stunned. _Caleb had called her by her nickname._

"He was a brave man." She said brushing off that moment of surprise; She looked to where her father had been taken."He was, but he was stubborn and impetuous," she continued.

"Just like you?" Gilan chimed in.

Isabella gave a sad smirk. "Well someone has to inherit the king's qualities_."_

_WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW WW_

Despite the gloomy mood and tears after Jacer had been buried and after cleaning up almost everything in the battlefield, there was a feast to celebrate the victory. Servants brought out platters of food. That was also when Isabella started to understand what the Ranger Halt had meant when he said Horace could eat everything in your home. No matter how much he ate, he seemed to find another empty leg to put it in. The musicians were playing a common song and several people were dancing. Isabella felt a tap on her shoulder.

"May I have this dance?" Caleb asked, holding his hand out. Isabella blushed slightly as she took his hand and he led her to the dance floor. Isabella saw Gilan giving her a thumbs up as he drank yet another cup of coffee. _Whereas Horace could eat you out of house and home, the three Rangers could drink all the coffee in all the houses and homes of the world_.

She snapped back to attention as she felt Caleb step on her toe.

"Sorry." He muttered, embarrassed.

Isabella gave him a smug smile and with all her might, slammed her foot down on his toe.

"Ouch!" He hissed. He started to smile though when he realized that it was all in good spirit.

"Some princess you are. Did your Dad teach you how to do that?" Caleb asked her with mock annoyance.

At the mention of her dad, Isabella bit her lip, keeping the tears at bay. "No, my sister did it to anybody who danced with her. I just decided to try it out on you." She managed to say.

"Why?"

"Well, any guy who really loves a girl will keep dancing with her, no matter how many times she steps on his toes."

"Does the same go for the girl to the guy?" He looked pointedly at her. " Let's say a clumsy boy just keeps stepping on a girl's toes. If she really loves him, would she still keep dancing with him?"

"Only if he doesn't break her toes." Isabella replied as she lightly stepped on her partner's shoes.

Caleb shook his head."I guess my toes are going to be pretty bruised tomorrow."

"So does that mean you love me?" Isabella asked.

Caleb gave her a look. _You know the answer._

Isabella did, and with that she knew what was going to happen next.

She closed her eyes and felt Caleb's lips come in contact with hers. That was her first kiss.


	19. Epilogue

Isabella kneeled by a gravestone, wiping the dirt that had accumulated there through the years

"Mommy, who is buried here?" A young voice asked.

Isabella looked to see her son staring down at the graves beside her. She scooped the boy up into her lap and hugged him.

"This is where your Aunt Jaylen and Grandpa Jacer and Grandpa Maddox are buried," Isabella replied

"Ohh…" The boy chimed, his curiosity satisfied.

"Jack! Jack where are you?" A voice yelled.

Isabella looked at Jack, still sitting in her lap. She gave him a look that could be interpreted as her 'why is your dad yelling for you' look.

"I was practicing my unseen movement, and then I saw you and wanted to see what you were doing." The little boy replied, smiling mischievously.

Isabella furrowed her eyebrows. "Why were you practicing unseen movement?"

"I wanna be a Ranger like Gilan!" Jack exclaimed.

Isabella sighed. _It can't be helped_

Jack had wanted to be a Ranger ever since Gilan had taught him how to move unseen. Isabella had hoped he would grow out of it, but he was persistent with his wishes

"Jack!" Caleb kept yelling.

"He's over here!" Isabella called back.

Caleb was relieved to see his wife holding their young boy.

"Don't do that Jack! You know you disappearing scares me to death!" Caleb said sternly to the little boy.

Jack gave his father a forlorn look. "Sorry Daddy." He said.

Caleb strode over to where Isabella was kneeling with Jack in her lap and ruffled Jack's hair.

"Just let me know when you are going to disappear, ok?" He said, all the austerity from a while was gone.

"But then I wouldn't be able to disappear if you always know where I'm at!" Jack exclaimed to Caleb.

"Exactly," The father said.

"Oh, alright." Jack pouted.

All was silent for a few moments.

"Hey Daddy?" It was Jack who broke the calm.

"Yes Jack?"

"I'm going to disappear."

"Don't go far."

"Okay." Jack leapt up out of Isabella's lap and started running.

"You do know I don't like it when you let him run everywhere like that," Isabella said with concern.

"He'll be fine," Caleb replied.

Isabella sighed. "If you say so," She and Caleb sat there on the ground, looking at the old gravestones.

"I can't believe it has been ten years since I last saw them," Isabella said, staring at her sister's and Father's grave.

"I can't believe that ten years ago we didn't know each other," Caleb added

"Ten years ago I didn't know how to shoot a bow," Isabella continued.

"You still don't know how," Caleb said jokingly.

Isabella smacked him teasingly.

"I can shoot one better than you!"

"Well that depends."

"On what?"

"What you're aiming at."

Isabella rolled her eyes. "I was still learning!"

"You tried to shoot me when the Wargals attacked Morithia," Caleb said, meriting a playful frown from his wife.

"I didn't know it was you!"

"You tried to shoot Gilan when he and I were fighting," Caleb continued, naming off people Isabella had 'accidently' almost shot.

"I was aiming at you that time."

"Good thing you're a bad shot," Caleb said.

Isabella looked up into her husband's green eyes. "Yes, a very good thing."

Caleb put his arm around Isabella. They sat there in a peaceful silence, remembering their lives and how different it was ten years ago.

Jack suddenly broke into the clearing, breaking the silence once again.

"Look mommy and daddy! I'm a Ranger!" Jack said as he carried Isabella's bow, pretending to shoot it. The bow was twice as big as the little boy. Isabella's eyes widened in concern for a while, ready to chase him and get her bow back before it hurts him.

It was Caleb who stopped her. He shook his head. "It's fine… There're no arrows. The worst he can get is a red welt in his arm." He said jokingly.

The two of them chuckled heartily then the chuckles gradually turned into laughs as they listened to Jack making noises and pretending to ride a horse.

Isabella shook her head, not being able to imagine life without her new family.

She lost her old family but was blessed by God with a new one.

**So that's the end. How did you all like it? There is going to be a poll on whether I should write a continuation of this story. Please vote! So now...(Drum roll please) A big thank you to...**

**Savannah Silverstone for being my beta and for all the reviews! the are greatly appreciated!**

**FarmersDaughter for reviewing every single chapter! you rock!**

**Mima2408, candlelightning, and habdreas323 for following! Thank you guys/gals!**

**And finally a big thank you to those whose names that I forgot! Sorry:)**

**THANK YOU one and all for reading!**


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